PORTLAND — Maine Emergency Medical System for Children (Maine EMS-C) is recognizing Maine Medical Center (MMC) as the first hospital in Maine to achieve the “Maine Always Ready for Children” standards in assessing, treating and stabilizing pediatric medical and traumatic emergencies. MMC’s Emergency Department met the standards at the highest possible level – Pediatric Innovator.

Maine EMS-C Program Manager Marc Minkler presented MMC’s Emergency Department with a plaque to mark the hospital’s Pediatric Innovator achievement on Tuesday, June 27.

“This recognition represents a great deal of teamwork. We want to be prepared to treat children for any medical or traumatic emergency they may face,” said Rachel Williams, MD, who, along with Amber Richards, MD, and Heidi Cote, RN, accepted the plaque on behalf of MMC. “We hope the work that we have done at Maine Medical Center inspires other Maine hospital teams to become part of this program.”

The Always Ready for Children program is a joint effort by EMS for Children programs in all six New England States, New York and New Jersey to recognize hospitals that show a voluntary commitment to improving their readiness for pediatric medical and traumatic emergencies.

Among the criteria the program examines as it assesses emergency departments are:

-Equipment, supplies and medications for pediatric patients
-Pediatric quality and performance improvement efforts
-Safety measures, including documenting the weight of pediatric patients in kilograms for safer medication dosing
-Policies, procedures and processes to collaborate with all Maine hospitals on pediatric patient care 

“No one ever wants to see a child ill or injured, but hospital and clinical providers do want to ensure that they are well prepared when the situation does arise,” said Minkler, in a MMC news release. “Maine Medical Center has embraced national, evidence-based standards to be best prepared to manage the emergencies that may occur to a child. The dedication of the Emergency Department and Trauma Services staff, along with hospital leadership, shows a commitment to high quality and family centric care. We applaud the entire hospital for their ongoing efforts and excellence.”

Hospitals can be recognized at the Pediatric Ready, Pediatric Engaged or Pediatric Innovator level, depending on their commitment to these metrics, which are based on national standards developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, Emergency Nurses Association, American College of Emergency Physicians, The American College of Surgeons and the EMS for Children Improvement and Innovation Center.

Pediatric Innovators not only exceed the Always Ready for Children standards, but help other hospitals with their readiness.

You can learn more about Maine Always Ready for Children at https://www.maine.gov/ems/hospitalpecc.

About Maine Medical Center

Maine Medical Center (MMC), recognized as a Best Regional Hospital by U.S. News and World Report for 2022-2023, is a complete health care resource for the people of Greater Portland and the entire state, as well as northern New England. Incorporated in 1868, MMC is the state’s largest medical center, licensed for 700 beds and employing more than 9,600 people. MMC's unique role as both a community hospital and a referral center requires an unparalleled depth and breadth of services, including an active educational program and a world-class biomedical research center. As a nonprofit institution, Maine Medical Center provides nearly 23 percent of all the charity care delivered in Maine. MMC is part of the MaineHealth system, a growing family of health care services in northern New England. For more information, visit www.mmc.org.